Dévoluy, hiking in the land of the giants of the pre-Alps

The Durbon estate was owned by Carthusian monks for seven centuries. They shaped its forests and alpine pastures. It is here that our first outing in the Dévoluy region takes place. We ascend the Garnesier valley, passing from deep beech and fir forests to short, high-altitude grasslands. Larches and mountain pines gradually disappear, and we find ourselves in the alpine zone, in the mineral world of the high altitudes of the Dévoluy. The Pas l'Agneau pass offers us a vast platform suspended between the Tête des Ormans and the Tête de Garnesier peaks. The views over the Dévoluy and the back of the Aiguilles de La Jarjatte are spectacular.

An earlier departure by minibus takes us just above Saint-Etienne-en-Dévoluy. We are at the foot of the Aurouze mountain and its highest point: the Pic de Bure. A good path leads us directly to the summit, whose vast, rocky plateau is home to the IRAM astronomical telescopes. We leave the path to venture into the high-altitude meadows above the Vallon d'Âne. The goal is to get as close as possible to the eastern pillar of the Pic de Bure, a magnificent, striking rock formation that immediately captures the eye.

Note:

- You retain your rooms at Valgabondage in La Jarjatte.

- Your spare bag will be transported to you by minibus for the two nights in Dévoluy.

At 2,789 meters, L'Obiou is the highest point of the limestone massifs that precede the great crystalline massifs. A beautiful hike through vast alpine pastures brings us close to its walls, sculpted by erosion and riddled with caves and fossil springs. We climb to Le Bénitier, a gigantic, verdant depression that precedes the mineral world of the summit slopes and walls. Having returned from the high peaks, we take advantage of the descent to visit one of the most important Vauclusian springs in France, Les Gillardes, and the charming chapel of Mère Église.

Today we're returning to La Jarjatte on foot! A superb hike takes us close to the Grand-Ferrand, the second highest peak in the Dévoluy massif. At the Col du Charnier pass, we descend into the La Jarjatte valley. We stop for a break by the only lake in the limestone pre-Alps: Lac du Lauzon. This small body of water, seemingly on borrowed time, has sediments that carefully preserve 6,000 years of pastoral history in the massif. We return to our rooms in La Jarjatte.

This morning we set off on foot to reach the Dévoluy syncline. We climb towards the dolomitic peaks that overlook the La Jarjatte valley: undoubtedly one of the most spectacular landscapes in the pre-Alps. This splendid route takes us over the Col des Aiguilles and into the bucolic valley that descends towards the Col du Festre. We find our vehicle, which we left the day before. Return to La Jarjatte.

The stay ends after breakfast.

We will organize your departure and any transfer to the station at the time of your choice.

The rooms are vacated but the communal areas remain accessible to you while you wait for your departure.